Deterrence Key to Avoiding Space War

Colorado Springs, Colo. Deterring potential adversaries in space and maintaining a secure space environment requires a “comprehensive and integrated approach to deterrence,” Adm. Cecil Haney, the head of US Strategic Command, said Thursday at the 32nd Space Symposium. Threats must be addressed across the spectrum of conflict, he said, “where escalation may occur with more than one adversary and in multiple domains.” The US also must have a broader understanding of adversaries and potential adversaries, and must “view and fund space as a critical mission capability versus an enabler,” Haney said. Additionally?, the US must collaborate and partner with interagency partners, allies, and commercial entities, and must have tailored deterrence plans for specific regions and nation states. The US and its allies continue pushing to preserve the space environment and use it in a peaceful way, Haney said, but “the reality is that we have come to a point where we must recognize that despite our efforts, a future conflict may start, or extend, into space.” (For more symposium coverage, see Managing Traffic in Space and Embracing Innovation.)